The 20 colleges with the most school spirit

There’s a number of ways students can show pride in their school, but nothing shows school spirit quite like showing up on gameday.

Whether it’s for a basketball game, football game, or a smaller niche sport, students celebrate their schools by covering themselves head-to-toe in school colors and filling stadium seats. They tailgate long before the games starts and continue celebrating well after it’s over.

The Princeton Review recently released its 2017 college rankings. They had over 140,000 students fill out a survey containing more than 80 questions. One question was, “How popular are intercollegiate sports at your school?” From those results, they determined the 20 schools where “Students Pack the Stadiums.”

Keep reading to find out the 20 colleges with the most school spirit in the country.

Tanza Loudenback contributed to this post.

20. University of Louisville — Cardinal pride is universal at Louisville. Students from all corners of campus come together to support their student athletes.

19. University of Connecticut — UConn’s first-rate athletics are considered legendary. Students love to root for the Huskies at sporting events like football and both men and women’s basketball. One student states, “the celebrations after victories are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced elsewhere.”

18. University of Nebraska at Lincoln — Students attending UNL love the fact that its a Big Ten school. The school’s strong sense of community shows at football games when students throw on their corn hats and root for the Huskers.

17. University of Arizona — Wildcats love tailgating and attending football and basketball games to the tune of “Bear Down, Arizona,” U of A’s popular fight song.

16. University of Wisconsin at Madison — At UW football isn’t just a game, it’s a way of life. Before a Badgers game even begins, “attendees share brats, offer up beers, and join in singing some of [their] most memorable chants.”

14. United States Air Force Academy — USAFA students are “driven” and “super smart,” which is why one student describes the Air Force Falcons as, “the smartest offensive line in the NCAA.”

13. University of Iowa — Hawkeyes take Saturday game days seriously. According to one student, “There is just a sea of black and gold swarming toward the stadium. Nothing can really compare to 70,000 Hawkeye fans in one place.”

9. Auburn University — Football reigns supreme at this big-time Alabama school. Auburn students say Tigers football games, “drive a ton of campus life and help unite the student body.”

8. University of Oklahoma — Attending football games and other athletic events is one of the most popular ways students have fun at OU. Over 80,000 students pack the university’s Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to cheer on the Sooners.

7. Kansas State University — Sports are a key part of the social life at KSU. Tons of students leave their Saturdays free to watch their beloved Wildcats play football.

6. Pennsylvania State University at University Park — With over 100,000 seats, Penn State’s Beaver Stadium has the second-highest seating capacity of any stadium in the country. Students say, “game days are super exciting and unifying for the student population.”

5. Clemson University — Students from all backgrounds are bonded by their “sheer love of Clemson.” School spirit is a color at Clemson, and you can see it on 80,000 fans on game day cheering on the Tigers at the school’s stadium, aka “Death Valley.”

4. Gonzaga University — Basketball is a “way of life,” according to students at Gonzaga. Bulldogs say one of the largest social experiences on campus is waiting in line to buy tickets and going to the games.

3. University of Southern California — Trojan pride is lively and infectious. One student says, “There is absolutely nothing that can top watching our unbelievable football team throttle the competition.”

2. West Virginia University — Mountaineers love WVU for its balance of academics and athletics. One student describes it: “[It’s] only something you can feel at a football game singing ‘Country Roads’ with 50,000 of your closest friends.”